6 Sure Ways to Tune Your Soprano Ukulele

There is nothing worse to a tuned ear than the sound of an instrument being played out of tune - in particular any type of ukulele. So one of the most important things you would want to be able to do as a ukulele player is to be able to tune your ukulele perfectly. This article will look at six ways that you can use to tune your soprano ukulele.

Using an Electronic Tuner
For anyone without a good ear and anyone with a good ear this would be the way to go if you want your ukulele to be in perfect tune. Electronic tuners vary in price and functionality but are fantastic to have and very easy to use. There are tuners that produce sounds which you tune your ukulele strings to and ones which show on a screen what note your string is playing after plucking a string. If you had a good ear then tuning to another instrument is another way.

Tuning to Another Instrument
Virtually any tuned instrument such as a guitar, piano, recorder, another ukulele, keyboard etc can be used to tune your ukulele accurately. You just need to know what notes to tune to and have a good ear. The pitch of a string is matched to the pitch of the note played by the other tuned instrument. If you haven't got access to another instrument try tuning the ukulele to itself.

Tuning the Ukulele to Itself-Relative Tuning
If you just want to play on your own without worrying about being in tune with someone else you can tune your ukulele to itself, often referred to as relative tuning. Relative tuning of your ukulele means you are using one of the strings to tune the other strings of the ukulele. Once mastered it is really easy to do. If this doesn't work for you try tuning online.

Tuning the Ukulele Online
Tuning online is a breeze. There are many online tuners out there on the internet to choose from. Online tuners can also be downloaded so that they can easily and quickly be accessed. An online tuner is quite unique because you can see and hear notes as they are being played. Just click on the note for the string you want to tune and then tune the tuning keys on your ukulele to match the sounds of the string notes to the pitches of the notes that are being played by the online tuner. It's that simple! Another way is to use a CD or DVD which normally comes in a commercially produced instructional package.

Tuning to a CD
Many instructional tutor books come with a CD or DVD which without fail have the notes of each string being plucked so you can easily tune your ukulele. The CD/DVD unusually also includes supporting examples of the exercises and tunes found in the instructional manual which is a bonus. These are excellent too. With the advent of You Tube, information about ukulele tuning is easily obtainable.

Using YouTube
By going to You Tube, free online instructions for tuning your ukulele can be found by simply typing in an appropriate keyword into the search box. A variety of ukulele enthusiasts can be found there explaining the finer points of tuning a ukulele. These are excellent and well worth investigating.

Ukulele Size Guide Part 1 - Soprano Ukulele

Ukuleles are classified according to their size. From smallest to largest the main four area soprano, concert, tenor and baritone. Specifically, the size is determined by the length of the string between the bridge and the nut i.e. the scale length.

The smallest ukulele is the soprano which has a 13 inch scale length.

The soprano is the most common ukulele of all. So why is it so popular?

Traditional Sound

The soprano is the traditional size of ukulele. It has the sound associated with the ukulele. This is very important for people who want that Hawaiian sound when they play.

Cheapest

Most of the cheapest ukuleles that you will find for sale are sopranos (although not all sopranos are cheap by any means). This makes them perfect for beginners who just want to test out whether the ukulele is for them.

Small Size

The size of the soprano has meant that it is the perfect instrument for kids and schools. But the advantages extend to grown ups too. It makes it relatively easy to stretch for notes and to form chords.

Chord Strumming

Strumming the soprano is a very natural feeling. And it can be used to produce a wide variety of sounds from soft, lilting Hawaiian style to punchy and forceful.

Downside of the Soprano

It's not all good news with the soprano size ukulele. There are some disadvantages. The flip side of its suitability for strumming is that is less suited to finger picking (your fingers have a tendency to trip over themselves).

And many players find the soprano a little too small and prefer having an extra bit of space to play with.

Overall

The soprano ukulele is the perfect ukulele for many people. It's particularly good for beginners since it is easy to play, sounds fantastic and is adorably small!

All About Owning and Playing the Soprano Ukulele

The soprano ukulele is one of four sizes for this musical instrument. It is the one most people think of when they see or hear of a ukulele performance. It is the most common of the ukulele types and the smallest of the four. The Ukulele is strongly linked to the Hawaiian Islands, but was originally brought there by Portuguese immigrants.

The guitar-like instrument is available in four sizes. A soprano version is the smallest, followed by the concert, tenor and baritone sizes. A soprano-size ukulele usually measures up to thirteen inches on the strings with a maximum length of 21 inches.

The tuning for the soprano ukulele, or standard ukulele as it is traditionally known is G C E A. The G is tuned one octave higher than the other three notes. The G may also be tuned as a low G. Another popular tuning for the soprano and the concert sizes is the sequence A D F# B. It is one step higher and is said produce a sweeter sound.

The D tuning was the most popular method used during the Hawaiian music craze that hit the country during the early 1900s. This tuning sequence is the one used in the Canadian school system. The A D F# B sequence is sometimes known as Canadian tuning.

The other sizes of ukulele instruments are tuned differently, each producing a unique sound and style of playing. There are also some more exotic styles and sizes of ukuleles. These include the banjo, harp and lap steel ukulele.

Almost all ukuleles today are made of wood, the less expensive ones will be of laminated wood or ply construction. The soundboards for the lesser quality instruments will be made of spruce. As the ukuleles move up the quality list, they will be made of acoustically superior woods such as mahogany or koa, a Hawaiian specialty wood. These instruments are tremendously valuable and can cost thousands of dollars.

The traditional ukulele shape is a figure eight, similar to a small-size acoustic guitar. More unusual shapes include a pineapple shape, boat paddle shape or a square shape. There are kits sold so that musicians can construct their own instrument for very little monetary outlay.

Learning to play the soprano ukulele is fairly simple, particularly if you are already knowledgeable about chords. Tuning advice and introductory lessons can be found online or in music stores. As with any other musical instrument, practice makes the player more proficient. The short length of the scale makes the ukulele a good starting point for those wanting to begin playing a plucked string musical instrument.

Singing Instructions - Knowing That You Are a Soprano Or a Tenor Can Actually Be a Problem

Let's start this by discussing the various voice classifications. Female singers are divided into sopranos (high voices) and altos (low voices) with a couple of in-between types such as mezzo soprano (a mix of soprano and alto).

Male voices are usually either bass (very low), baritone (not quite as low), and tenor (able to sing higher before having to go into falsetto)

The classification of voices basically depends on the size of the vocal cords. The bigger the cords, the lower they can sing. Also the quality of the voices is usually different. Quite often a man has a rich, fat, baritone quality, yet can't sing as low as most baritones. He might be "classified" as a baritone anyway.

But when we hear Mariah Carey or Elton John or Dolly Parton sing, we probably aren't the least interested in their range or vocal classification. Their voices just are.

In opera, the music must be sung in the exact key in which it was written. There is no leeway here. If a part was written for a soprano, a soprano must sing it. The same applies to choral music. It takes real basses or baritones, not tenors, singing the bass part to make the arrangement sound as it should.

But this leaves the vast majority of singers who prefer pop, rock and country music. What vocal classification must a successful country singer have? It makes no difference. They just need to make sure they sing their songs in keys which are good for their particular voices.

So how can telling a singer that they are a soprano do any harm? It can, if that singer has a belief that sopranos are only supposed to sing high songs, that they should never try to sing down low...it just won't sound good. Too many singers' have such pre-conceived beliefs, and it can limit their style and ability to do all sorts of music.